The new fall semester is upon us! But, before classes begin, a few of us had an opportunity to collect at Gerber Reserve. New MS Graduate Students Subodh Adhikari and Cristian Beza, as well as prospective graduate student Oliver Keller, accompanied me on a particularly HOT afternoon at Gerber Reserve. Since July, the pond has receded considerably and the Smoots Creek has only a rivulet of water in it. But the insect life was strong! We saw many species of wasps and bees, cicadas, dragonflies, a few weevils, and a few leaf beetles. Anax junius, the Common Green Darner, was seen in wheel position (mating) as well as in tandem (with females being held by males as they oviposited). We also saw a nest of Peromyscus mice (with several juveniles) under a small plant.